The founding partners of this new initiative, including The Gillette Company, The Nature Conservancy and the United Nations Foundation (UNF) joined Coastal America partners for the formal launch of ICWRP as part of the White Water to Blue Water Conference in Miami on March 22, 2004 . The partners also participated in a press event in Mexico City , Mexico on October 26, 2004 , hosted by the U.S. Embassy, to formally introduce the first project to the Mexican public.

ICWRP commenced work in 2004 through the funding of a large-scale pilot project at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Quintana Roo , Mexico . Sian Ka’an is both a World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance that contains wetlands and aquatic habitats of vital ecological importance. The site is threatened by coastal development, unregulated tourism, and unsustainable farming and fishing practices. Through the ICWRP Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, The Gillette Company and the UN Foundation provided $750,000 to support efforts to conserve freshwater, marine and coastal resources at the site. Project partners, working with Amigos de Sian Ka’an (a local environmental organization), are developing a conservation land-buyer program targeting the coastal areas of the Sian Ka’an reserve. Project partners will acquire a key tract of land, Pez Maya, that protects the only canal linking the coral reef to an extensive wetland system.

Further information on this exciting new partnership opportunity is available on the ICWRP Partnership Website.